"Sangmok, what am I supposed to buy with 6,363 won? I oppose the canteen's closure!"
This is the wording on the banner displayed by the National Public Servants' Union in front of the Central Government Complex in Sejong City, where the Ministry of Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Economy and Finance are located, since early April. The amount of 6,363 won is derived from dividing the monthly meal allowance of 140,000 won by the average number of working days per month, which is 22 days excluding weekends and holidays. What could be the story behind this?
This banner was put up due to the government’s 'self-employed revival' policy that started this month. The policy was formalized by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok during a Livelihood Economy Inspection Meeting last month. The intention is to encourage civil servants and employees to eat outside instead of using the canteen to alleviate the economic difficulties faced by local merchants.
As a result, from this month, government offices, local governments, and public institutions are regularly closing the canteen doors. According to notices received by civil servants, the Sejong Government Complex canteen will be closed on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month for buildings 1, 2, 5, 6, and Central Building, while the 2nd and 4th Fridays will see canteens in buildings 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, and 16 closed. Buildings 2, 13, 17, and Central Building, which used to open on weekends and holidays, will now only serve meals on weekends in Central Building. This measure will continue for three months, from the 1st to June 30.
'Regular closure of the canteen' has been implemented occasionally in the past, mainly during economic downturns when small businesses faced crises. During the global financial crisis in 2008, canteens closed once a month, and during COVID-19, they were closed once a week.
At that time, too, there were complaints among civil servants about having to buy meals outside for a higher price. This time, some civil servants have expressed that "the government does not provide meal allowances yet forces us to spend a lot on dining out." The public servants' union relayed this opinion to the Ministry of Interior and Safety and the Government Complex Management Headquarters. The Ministry of Interior and Safety stated that they minimized closure days in consideration of the criticism.
The reason civil servants are dissatisfied lies in the high cost of living in Sejong City. According to the Consumer Agency of Korea, as of March this year, the price of one serving of kimchi stew in Sejong City, excluding the old town of Joichon, is 10,000 won. This is comparable to Daejeon, which has the highest price at 10,200 won, and is 18% more expensive than Seoul's 8,500 won. The price for 200 grams of pork belly in Sejong City is 23,700 won, which is higher than in Seoul (20,276 won) and all other cities and provinces.
The inflation rate is also steep. According to the Korean Statistical Office, consumer prices in Sejong City rose by 2.6% from a year ago last month. This is the highest among 17 cities and provinces nationwide. The record for the highest inflation rate has continued for four consecutive months from December of last year to March of this year. The inflation rate for personal services, including "dining out," is 4.4%, also the highest in the country.
A civil servant working at the Sejong Government Complex stated, "In the canteen, you can have a meal for 4,500 to 5,000 won, but outside at the complex, it's at least 10,000 won for a bowl of sundae soup. Furthermore, due to the characteristics of Sejong City, it's inconvenient to have to rush back within the one-hour lunch break, as the restaurant is far from the complex."
Local merchants near the complex reported that they do not feel a significant increase in sales. A restaurant owner commented, "The canteen is closed on Fridays, so civil servants from Sejong City are usually already headed to Seoul by then and are not often around Sejong City." Additionally, some pointed out that due to the unique layout of the Sejong Government Complex, where several buildings are connected as one, civil servants can simply go to the canteen in the neighboring building, which diminishes the effectiveness of the measure.
However, there are also responses indicating that they do not feel overly inconvenienced. A civil servant B noted, "Since it’s just the canteen closing occasionally, I don’t see it as a big imposition. I hope the union focuses its energy on important issues like wage negotiations instead of raising trivial matters."